Life As We Knew It

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“One-Act Play”

In this activity, students will write a future scene for Pfeffer’s characters and act it out for the class.

Throughout the novel, Miranda’s family lives in survival mode, trying to figure out how to withstand each catastrophe as they unfold. As the family survives, they each grow in the novel’s themes of Faith, Love, Survival, and Maturity. Work with a group to write a one-act play that depicts Miranda’s family in the future. Your play should reflect the themes and changes in the characters’ attitudes, actions, and motivations.

• Groups will differ in size; however, each member must have a role in the one-act play. When casting roles, consider the talents and personalities of your group members.
• The one-act play should range from 2 to 3 pages long. It should focus on one scene and one major conflict or action. Groups will collaborate to outline the events in each scene, but each student is responsible for writing their own lines for the character they will portray. Though there will be multiple writers, the one-act play should flow smoothly and be consistent with the original characters and story.
• When writing your lines, be sure to add stage directions to convey the character’s feelings, actions, facial expressions, and other aspects you will need to act out during the performance.
• You will need to create a backdrop or background setting for your one-act play. This can be done digitally or on paper. You will also need to have props and dress suitably for your character.
• Performers should rehearse lines in a variety of ways to explore the best way to display each character and the story as a whole.
• Plays will be dramatized for the class. You may act it out in person or present it in a recorded digital format.

Teaching Suggestion: Rubrics like these from Chapman University will provide the students with the organization that will help them be successful in this assignment. If students prefer to work alone, they may write a monologue.